QUEEN ELIZABETH

Queen Elizabeth was always misunderstood. She was a feminist 400 years before there was the word 'feminist'. She was the smartest person in charge of any country in Europe at the time and about as smart a ruler as there's ever been. Since the average person can't understand genius (or they would be a genius too) nearly everyone thought she was either possessed, crazy or both. She had only genius and greatness without any significant flaws of consequence but many people did project their own faults and shortcomings on her.

No matter what happened she went right on living her life the way she wanted to, which is what her father King Henry VIII taught his daughter to do. He did this before almost anyone else thought a daughter should 'produce in her own right as she so wished'. 

She was a combination of wild girl, scholar, sportswoman and hippy which ended up producing a ruler that was far stronger than all Europe's men combined and more ruthless when inevitably challenged. She fought for and defended her way of life like no other woman had since Cleopatra (and was twice the woman Cleopatra ever was).

She was simply wonderful. If I had been a man I probably would have acted like so many other men did and would have gratefully been as a dog at her feet.

Part of everyone's misunderstanding of her must be based on the jealousy of later rulers but that is just a guess since I wasn't around then. It must have been the Puritans because they changed, stole or destroyed all of the paintings of both King Henry VIII and Elizabeth which showed off their looks.

It's very obvious with Henry VIII.

At the time of his reign most of King Henry VIII's paintings were of him when he was younger and when his figure was like this suit of armor.  Someone took all those so all you have are those of him when he was very old and dissipated looking. Obvious jealousy.

Similar was often done to the paintings of Queen Elizabeth to make her look ugly. Let me just say that, in today's vernacular, she had a great body and would be in the top 98% of women as judged by a college football team. Also, she would win just about every wet tee shirt contest she entered. However, there is not a painting that shows off her figure like dozens that used to and have now disappeared. There were men from other countries that were totally taken aback by her beauty and women too. They ended up speechless in front of her and then would suddenly blurt out a proposal of marriage they had never intended to offer.

She was never white and pasty, nor did she have wrinkle's even in her late 60's.

On the right is a accurate engraving (1603) of exactly how she looked right before she died at the age of 70. 

However, the one on the left is not Queen Elizabeth. She never looked like that and that dress is from before the start of her reign. It's probably one of Bloody Mary's which somebody painted Elizabeth's head on to make her look bad, which she never did a day in her life. In fact it is very similar to the dress in this painting when she was still a princess. There are several that the same we done to. She did not age 30 years in 4 years time. 

You could never pay or torture Marcus Gheeraerts into modifying a painting to make a person look better than they were (that is why a lot of wealthy people refused to hire him). His Rainbow Painting of Queen Elizabeth, also at Hatfield House, was painted three years before Queen Elizabeth died. It shows her in good trim, with good skin and not at all haggard. It's one of the best documented painted while the others are not. 

Later there were people who often altered her face and repainted it with white to make her look like a drab woman in bright clothes but she was brighter and more lively than anything she ever wore and almost everyone of those clothes were a product of her mind. She designed and had a hand in making almost every piece of her wardrobe of 3,000 dresses.

Her I.Q. as measured by modern standards would have been about 160. She proved it ten times a day. No one could out think her, well almost no one.

Queen Elizabeth invented haute couture 300 years before there was a name for it. Not that there was any lack of demand for 'haute couture' at the time since there was a huge demand for her styles. In fact one of her most quoted statements was about her petticoats and it was a threat to abdicate the throne of England to go live in Italy and sell her clothing line. (History itself was written by commoners and their history was quite different from that of England's rulers as you will read on this page.)

She was the first true humanist the world had seen since Cleopatra died.

This is how a huge friendship began between myself and the queen. It last for the rest of our lives. And yes, I am still respectfully nuts about her highness.

Did you know that she was actually one of the most gentle women on the face of this earth. She was also one of the greatest of actresses. She played the part of a totally ruthless huntress to kept England free from invasion and yet she also played the part of the awesome Saint Elizabeth the Francis.

The Ermine Portrait and how it was a trap laid to catch those who later would rebel against the crown.

This other page on her clothing I am still working on.

Why Queen Elizabeth I didn't get married at a time when other women did and in fact said 'Better beggar woman and single than Queen and married'.

And her band of ruthless protective ladies that left no evidence in the form of bodies.

On a literal note, Queen Elizabeth's tutor Roger Ascham had this to say about the maid Elizabeth Tudor in his treatise The Schoolmaster

It is your shame (I speak to you all, you young gentlemen of England) that one maid should go beyond you all in excellency of learning and knowledge of divers tongues. Point forth six of the best-given gentlemen of this court, and all they together show not so much good will, spend not so much time, bestow not so many hours, daily, orderly, and constantly, for the increase of learning and knowledge as doth the Queen's Majesty herself. . . . Amongst all the benefits that God hath blessed me withal, next the knowledge of Christ´s true religion, I count this the greatest: that it pleased God to call me to be one poor minister in setting forward these excellent gifts of learning in this most excellent prince.

That is quite a denigration of every other person he had ever taught. However, it was the truth and no exaggeration was at all involved.

Roger Ascham in his educational treatise The Schoolmaster

This information about Queen Elizabeth is fair but lacks.

The 1911 Enclyclopedia Britannica is another good source of information about Queen Elizabeth. It is still mediocre. Although it is better than most, it still avoids her true greatness almost 100%.

 

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